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Sirazhudinova S. Reproductive Behavior Among the Peoples of the North Caucasus

S. Sirazhudinova
Dagestan State University of National Economy
Makhachkala, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-6069-6076
E-mail: saida_kant@mail.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. One of the regions where religion has an increasingly strong influence on people’s lives is the North Caucasus. Fertility often depends on people’s religious views and local interpretations of religious norms. In the article, we examine the influence of Islam on fertility, the reproductive behavior of the population, Islam’s reproductive strategy, and its local variations. The author analyzed religious sources and conducted an expert survey among religious and public figures of the North Caucasus republics. Based on the results of a sociological study conducted among the residents of the most Islamized republics of the North Caucasus — the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Ingushetia — the paper analyzes how the population of these places, depending on age, gender, religious views, and affiliation to a particular current within Islam, understands fertility issues. The study included qualitative (in-depth interviews and an expert survey) and quantitative methods (standardized questionnaire). The total sample was 1575 respondents. Qualitative research (N = 75) was conducted with residents of the region, of which 30 respondents were experts. The study identifies the reproductive strategies of the population, including the comparative analysis of gender strategies and their reproductive behavior in its dynamics and specificity. The study explores people’s reproductive expectations, dependence of fertility on religious affiliation, place of residence, and other factors. It also considers the problems of forcing women to have children, contraception, selective abortion, and the priority of the influence of religion or tradition on reproductive behavior.

 

KEYWORDS: religion, Islam, fertility, reproductive behavior, the North Caucasus

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2024-2(24)-257-273
UDC 314.37(470.6) 

 

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